Greenville police close case on Panettiere's accidental overdose

The Greenville Police Department has closed its investigation into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere.

The case was ruled accidental, matching the medical examiner's determination and the findings of police detectives. Panettiere, 36, died from an accidental overdose involving multiple prescription medications and fentanyl, according to the Greenville County Coroner's Office. Toxicology testing identified fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. An autopsy found no signs of contributing trauma.

Panettiere was found unresponsive on Aug. 16 inside a Greenville apartment where she had been staying temporarily. Dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a woman in cardiac arrest at about 1:51 p.m., and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. Her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the apartment when she died.

The coroner's office closed its case after establishing the cause and manner of death. Police kept their own investigation open at the time while detectives followed leads.

Panettiere appeared in the television series "Heroes" and "Nashville" and in the films "Ice Princess" and entries in the "Scream" franchise. Her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," was published in May and covered her childhood, time in the limelight and struggles with alcohol, opioids and postpartum depression.